Champions League 2012-13: Group A, Group B and Group C

Now when the Champions League 2012-13 participants are allocated into groups, it is time to compare them by means of some interesting facts and figures.

                                           Group A

FC Dynamo Kyiv - Ukrainian runners-up

UEFA Ranking: 22

Transfer amount of all players: EUR 132,0 mio

3 most prolific players: Miguel Veloso, Kranjcar, Yarmolenko

Ambitions for the season:

The season has just started, but it is already close to be another disaster for Yuri Semin’s team. Already 6 points behind the rivals Shakhtar Donetsk and a hard Champions League group assume that the only realistic goal for Dynamo is success in Europa League. A very distant goal, especially when the legendary captain Andriy Shevchenko is not with the team any more.

The decisive match: 06-11: Dynamo-Porto:  if there is a path to advance to the next round for the Ukrainians, it lies through winning a match against Porto. It is best to play on the home soil to complete such missions.

GNK Dinamo Zagreb - Croatian champions

UEFA Ranking: 69

Transfer amount of all players: EUR 42,5 mio

3 most prolific players: Simunic, Leko, Vrsaljko

Ambitions for the season: Another title in the Croatian league and a fight for Europa League tickets.

The decisive match: 03-10: Dynamo-Dinamo:  this is where the Croatian team can claim its right to advance to Europa League. If they don’t get at least a point in Kyiv, it might be too late to earn decisive points by the time the teams meet again on the final matchday.

FC Porto - Portuguese champions

UEFA Ranking: 9

Transfer amount of all players: EUR 173,8 mio

3 most prolific players: Joao Moutinho, Rolando, Lucho Gonzalez

Ambitions for the season: Another title in the Portuguese League and a quarterfinal of Champions League.

The decisive match: 06-11: Dynamo-Porto: not to leave the qualification question open, the Portuguese need to get at least a point in Kyiv, assuming they would have won their home match 2 weeks earlier.

Paris Saint-Germain FC– French runners-up

UEFA Ranking: 37

Transfer amount of all players: EUR 308,3 mio

3 most prolific players: Thiago Silva, Pastore, Ibrahimovic

Ambitions for the season: A must-win title in the French league and a place in the Champions League semi- finals.

The decisive match: 03-10: Porto-PSG: PSG have got a chance to prove their class already on the second matchday. Their visit to Porto will probably give Europe a ground to judge about the French vice-champions’ ambitions for the season. 

                                              Group B

FC Schalke 04 – German bronze medalists

UEFA Ranking: 18

Transfer amount of all players: EUR 152,0 mio

3 most prolific players: Papadopoulos, Farfan, Huntelaar

Ambitions for the season: Champions League place, preferably 3rd, and free flight in Champions League: the further the better.

The decisive match: 06-11: Schalke 04-Arsenal: The four teams are more or less capable of everything, so the difference might become a win over Arsenal, the chance of which the Germans will get on the 4th matchday.

Montpellier Herault SC – French champions

UEFA Ranking: 110

Transfer amount of all players: EUR 85,5 mio

3 most prolific players: Yanga-Mbiwa, Belhanda, Camara

Ambitions for the season: Another title in the French league will not be realistic, so a Champions League place for the next season and 1/8 finals this season will be a good result for the team.

The decisive match: 18-09: Montpellier-Arsenal:  Already the first match will show how serious the French champions are to be treated in their European Champions League debut.

Arsenal FC – English bronze medalists

UEFA Ranking: 6

Transfer amount of all players: EUR 282,8 mio

3 most prolific players: Podolski, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Cazorla

Ambitions for the season: Champions League place for the next season and quarterfinals for this season.

The decisive match: 18-09: Montpellier-Arsenal: Each and every team will be set for a special performance against the English team. Arsenal’s task is to remain concentrated in 6 matches. On the 18th of September they will have to demonstrate how they are going to do this during the group stage.

Olympiacos FC– Greek champions

UEFA Ranking: 33

Transfer amount of all players: EUR 73,5 mio

3 most prolific players: Fetfatzidis, Torosidis, Avraam Papadopoulos

Ambitions for the season: Another Greek title and advancement in any of the two European tournaments.

The decisive match: 04-12: Olympiakos-Arsenal: And another group for Olympiakos and Arsenal with German and French teams. And again Greeks will try to surprise and get the season prolonged into spring session. And again they will need to win over Arsenal. This time it might happen on the last matchday, where 3 points always decide something.

                                               Group C

RSC Anderlecht– Belgian champions

UEFA Ranking: 49

Transfer amount of all players: EUR 81,3 mio

3 most prolific players: Juhasz, Gillet, Matias Suarez

Ambitions for the season: Another Belgian title and a good impression in Champions League group stage.

The decisive match: 03-10: Anderlecht-Malaga: If the Belgian team is seriously planning to achieve anything in Europe, they will have to have some points in their account after the second match.

Malaga CF – 4^th in Spanish Primera

UEFA Ranking: 89

Transfer amount of all players: EUR 94,8 mio

3 most prolific players: Demichelis, Toulalan, Julio Baptista

Ambitions for the season: Another place in Champions League next season and a place in 1/8 finals.

The decisive match: 24-10: Malaga-Milan: After this match of the third matchday experts will have a picture of Malaga’s capabilities in the European arena. 

FC Zenit St Petersburg – Russian champions

UEFA Ranking: 24

Transfer amount of all players: EUR 209,6 mio

3 most prolific players: Malafeev, Danny, Hulk

Ambitions for the season: A domestic title and quarterfinals in Champions League. Anything else will be a fiasco for the Italian coach Luciano Spaletti, whos bosses spent 80 million Euros to acquire superstars from the Portuguese league – Hulk and Axel Witsel.

The decisive match: 03-10: Zenit-Milan: The match, which is expected to be a bestseller in Russia and Italy, not only because of the rumours tying Zenit coach Spaletti with Milan, but also because of the chance of 100 million euros spent by Zenit to perform on the pitch. 

AC Milan – Italian runners-up

UEFA Ranking: 14

Transfer amount of all players: EUR 230,9 mio

3 most prolific players: Boateng, Robinho, Pato

Ambitions for the season: To bring the Italian title back. The Champions League goal shouldn’t be higher than the achievement of the last season, as things stand right now, but depending on the winter transfer campaign, the expectations could change. 

The decisive match: 04-12: Milan-Zenit: If Milan is not secure of a next round place before the final matchday, it will have a task of a huge difficulty in the match against Zenit. This is exactly what we expect from Champions League each and every year.